We all know how back pain can affect pregnant women. If you're a pregnant woman, what steps can you take to protect your back?
This pain is caused by the growing uterus and usually is at its worst in the third trimester. Within a couple of weeks of delivery the pain will have subsided. This pain is sometimes replaced by a different kind of back pain, one that is caused by the daily lifting of the new baby. No matter how much any new mother delights in her new baby, she must understand that there are things to learn to enhance her comfort. Learning these steps will prevent the prospect of further back problems that can lead to back pain.
When a woman first brings home her baby into the world, her child will weigh between seven and nine pounds. The number of times the baby is picked up in a day is staggering. Each time there is a feeding, for example, the baby is brought out of the bassinette or crib, diapers are changed before the baby is fed, and diapers are changed again after. Then there is play time, going in the stroller or the car seat, into and out of cribs for each feeding, cuddling time and back to bed. The average infant is lifted as much as of fifty times a day. By the end of the first year the baby's weight has doubled. By the end of the second year the weight is tripled from that tiny infant that was first brought home. The number of times the child is lifted is reduced but the increased weight makes up for it.
To avoid this prospect of further back pain, new mothers need only follow a few common-sense tips and they will see that they can enjoy their babies without the back pain. First, unless you had a caesarian section, you should try to begin light exercise program as soon as you can. Restoring muscle tone and flexibility will help greatly when lifting your baby. You should be able to see a quick return to your pre-pregnancy weight. Less than two months is a recommended goal.
If you have chosen to breastfeed your baby, bring the baby to you. Do not bend over to feed the baby. Sit up straight while nursing, and have good back support. When getting the baby out of the crib don't lift the child over the bars; instead, slide the side down and then bring the baby out of the crib. If you are going to use a baby carrier try to use the ones that hang on the front. When it is time to put your baby into the car seat don't try to do it by putting baby in while you remain outside of the car. Kneel on the seat beside the car seat and put baby in that way. While baby sleeps try a few stretching exercise a couple of times a day. Do not do this for more then ten minutes at a time as that is all you will need.
